The German Patent Application No. 40 08675 already discloses a valve needle for an electromagnetically actuated valve, which is comprised of an armature, a valve-closure member, and a tubular connecting part joining the armature and the, e.g., spherical valve-closure member. The enumerated parts represent individual parts, which are each manufactured separately and are first joined together by means of jointing methods, e.g. laser welding. Thus, there are at least two joints (Points of connection). The armature in this case completely embraces the connecting part radially and axially at least in part, since the connecting part is secured in a longitudinal orifice passing right through the armature. The connecting part, itself, also has a continuously traversing inner longitudinal orifice, in which the fuel can flow toward the valve-closure member and then flow out near the valve-closure member through radially running, crosswise orifices introduced in the inner wall of the connecting part. Therefore, the fuel first flows inside the valve needle and does not leave the valve needle until close to the valve seat.
It has also been disclosed by German Patent No. 42 30 376 to manufacture a valve needle for an electromagnetically actuated valve from a one-piece, tubular actuating part comprised of an armature section and a valve sleeve section by means of injection molding and subsequent sintering in accordance with the metal-injection-molding method (MIM). The actuating part is subsequently joined by a welding connection to a valve-closure member section. Provided in the armature section and the valve-sleeve section is a traversing, inner longitudinal opening, in which fuel can flow toward the valve-closure member section and then emerge out of the valve-sleeve section near the valve-closure member section through crosswise orifices. Thus, in manufacturing the valve needle using the so-called MIM method, slide molds are necessary to form the crosswise orifices.